Tattoo Design Tattoo Lettering and Typography 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which lettering style is characterized by varying thick and thin stroke contrasts with small decorative lines (serifs) at the ends of letterforms?
- Sans-serif
- Serif (Correct answer)
- Script
- Blackletter
Correct answer: Serif
Serif fonts have small decorative strokes at the ends of letters combined with varying thick and thin stroke widths, giving them a classic, traditional appearance.
Question 2: What is 'kerning' in tattoo lettering design?
- The spacing between lines of text
- The overall size of the lettering
- The spacing between individual characters (Correct answer)
- The thickness of letter strokes
Correct answer: The spacing between individual characters
Kerning refers to adjusting the horizontal space between individual letter pairs to achieve visually balanced, evenly-spaced text.
Question 3: Which historical lettering style, derived from medieval European manuscripts, features thick dramatic strokes and ornate angular letterforms?
- Roman
- Blackletter/Gothic (Correct answer)
- Italic
- Cursive
Correct answer: Blackletter/Gothic
Blackletter (also called Gothic or Old English) originated in medieval European manuscripts and is defined by dramatic thick-and-thin strokes with angular, ornate letterforms.
Question 4: What is 'leading' in the context of multi-line tattoo lettering?
- The slant angle of italic letters
- The vertical spacing between lines of text (Correct answer)
- The horizontal alignment of text
- The thickness of the heaviest strokes
Correct answer: The vertical spacing between lines of text
Leading is the vertical space between lines of text, named after the lead strips that typesetters historically placed between rows of movable type.
Question 5: What is an 'ascender' in typography?
- The bottom curve of letters like 'g' and 'p'
- The dot above lowercase 'i' and 'j'
- The part of a lowercase letter that extends above the x-height (Correct answer)
- The decorative swash at the end of a letter
Correct answer: The part of a lowercase letter that extends above the x-height
Ascenders are the portions of lowercase letters such as 'h,' 'l,' and 'd' that extend upward above the main body height (x-height) of the typeface.
Question 6: Which technique is used in tattoo lettering to create a three-dimensional raised appearance by adding an offset shadow behind the letters?
- Whip shading
- Drop shadow (Correct answer)
- Color washing
- Stippling
Correct answer: Drop shadow
Drop shadows are offset duplicates of the letterform filled with a darker shade, creating the illusion that the letters are floating above the skin surface.
Question 7: When tattooing script lettering, which technique is most important for maintaining consistent, fluid letterforms?
- Holding the machine at 90 degrees to the skin at all times
- Maintaining a consistent angle and moving the hand smoothly (Correct answer)
- Pressing as firmly as possible for solid line saturation
- Using a scrubbing back-and-forth motion for even ink deposit
Correct answer: Maintaining a consistent angle and moving the hand smoothly
Script lettering requires a consistent machine angle and smooth, flowing hand movement to produce connected letterforms without breaks or inconsistencies in line weight.
Tattoo Design Tattoo Lettering and Typography 1
Which lettering style is characterized by varying thick and thin stroke contrasts with small decorative lines (serifs) at the ends of letterforms?